Reagan Lewis, Chloe Jalkut and Kaydn Byrd are studying voice at Interlochen Arts Camp 2022.
They came by IPR’s Studio A to perform music by Mozart and Giordani.
Reagan Lewis is a soprano from South Rockwood, Michigan, studying with Dr. Alison Trainer.
She performed the Italian song “Caro mio ben” (My dear beloved) in Studio A.
Reagan likes to make this popular piece her own through stylish ornaments and changing the tone color of her voice to make it different each time.
In addition to singing, Reagan loves musical theater and dance. She started taking tap classes when she was only two and a half.
She finds that her more than 13 years of experience in movement has helped her in music training.
“We have a class called Eurythmics where we learn all about movement of the body and how to relate it to music, and there are a lot of things in there that I have known from dance, since I started when I was so little, that I haven’t even realized I’ve been doing. ... a lot of the things that I do in dance have helped me in my classical training.”
This summer marks soprano Chloe Jalkut’s fourth visit to Interlochen. She studies with Dr. Todd Wedge.
With relatively few people in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina who are interested in classical voice, she loves being surrounded by so many who share this passion.
Chloe Jalkut and Kaydn Byrd sang a duet in English translation called “To greet you, my lady” from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
The duet involves the characters of Susanna (sung by Chloe) and Marcellina (sung by Kaydn), who are humorously exchanging politely-worded insults.
“I absolutely love how comedic it is. Being able to do the “two-faced” scene is just so wonderful. And it’s so fun singing with Kaydn too; she is wonderful to work with.”
Chloe has many interests in the arts outside of her singing, such as English and poetry. While quarantined during the early part of the pandemic, she discovered dance.
“I picked up dance kind of over 2020 and the initial quarantine period. It gives me life; it is so much fun!”
She also loves theater. One of her favorite plays she’s performed in is Little Women, in which she played the role of Beth.
Kaydn Byrd studies voice with Peg Plambeck. Originally from Electra, Texas, this is the soprano’s first time at Summer Arts Camp.
She loves the supportive energy of being here at Interlochen.
“It’s really amazing being in a place where everyone is so passionate about their art without making it competitive. We’re all here to admire and learn from each other.”
Kaydn explores many interests both inside and outside of the performing arts: along with an appreciation for musical theater, she’s an amateur astronomer and loves geology.
Special thanks to collaborative pianist Xiao Wang, to voice area coordinator Dr. Autumn West and to Stefan Wiebe, who engineered this edition of Studio A.
